How Do I Prepare Easy Italian Recipes On A Budget?

With the holidays approaching, many of us are checking our gift lists with some dismay! You may have so many people on your list, you know your budget will be screaming loudly before ever you begin. However, you do not want to start trimming your list either. here is just one idea that fulfills all of your objectives in a budget friendly way, but with a big dose of thoughtfulness. With just a little time spent at the library and a few inexpensive stocking stuffer items, you can make a delightful gift for anyone on your list who loves Italian food. (Is there anyone who does not?)

Italian cooking, adhering to the principles of the basic Mediterranean diet, is healthy, inexpensive and for the most part, easy cooking. A superb collection of easy Italian recipes is yours to share with your friends as a holiday gift. A trip to the library, or a simple perusal of your own book shelves will yield dozens of delicious, easy Italian recipes, requiring no special or elaborate skills.

The Seasons of the Italian Kitchen, written by Diane Darrow and Tom Mareska, is a highly recommended resource, although there are many other excellent Italian cook books. The key to Italian dishes is freshness of ingredients and simplicity. Good Italian food is seasonal, with the cook making use of in-season produce, which, incidentally, reduces the cost of the dish. For example, frozen artichokes in January are more costly and do not approach the delectable product of summer.

Once you have assembled a dozen or more easy Italian recipes, organize them by season and put them in an attractive recipe file, whether an album style or the old fashioned recipe box.

Now look through each recipe for the required seasonings. Buy some bulk herbs to fulfill your list and mix up a batch sufficient for several batches of each dish. Place them in small spice jars, or empty baby food jars with the lids painted in a red, white and green Italian design. Italians are sticklers for freshness, so unless your easy Italian recipe gift basket is not traveling far, consider small clay pots of fresh herbs. Other delicacies in your basket might include fresh mozzarella or a jar of pesto, two oh-so useful and simple additions to a number of easy Italian recipes. Semolina wheat egg noodles, a little drizzle of olive oil and pesto is all you need for an unusual and excellent side dish. A block of well aged Parmesan goes a long way, adding that gourmet taste to Bruschetta, noodles and salads. Fresh mozzarella is so superior to the grated or dry types and is absolutely marvelous on pizza and in lasagna or cannelloni.

Depending on your basket goodies, you can put together a fabulous gourmet gift for under $20! So long as your recipient has an interest in Italian food, this gift idea, based on easy Italian recipes, will provide more enjoyment than a fancy and costly sweater. If you wish, try putting a nice bottle of Italian Chianti in your basket for the perfect accompaniment to this thoughtful holiday gift!